Head of Leadership and Colleague Experience

Advertised Hours
39 hours per week
All Locations
Support Centre, Lincoln
Salary details:
c. £85k per annum
Vacancy type:
Permanent
Apply
  • About the role:

  • What if your next role didn't just support people development, but shaped the future leadership and capability of an entire organisation?

    At Lincolnshire Co-op, we're building something bigger than jobs. We're developing great leaders, creating meaningful careers and ensuring our colleagues have the skills, support and opportunities they need to thrive.

    That's where you come in.

     
     
    Ready to shape the experience, capability and future potential of almost 3,000 colleagues?
     

    As our Head of Leadership and Colleague Experience, you'll lead the Society's approach to leadership development, talent management, performance, learning and colleague engagement, ensuring we have the capability, culture and leadership needed to deliver our ambitions.

    You'll create practical frameworks, development pathways and colleague experience strategies that strengthen leadership capability, build internal talent pipelines and help colleagues perform at their best. Using insight, data and feedback, you'll turn strategy into meaningful action that improves engagement, inclusion and organisational performance.

    In this role, you will:

    • Shape the Society's leadership, talent and performance strategy to support future business priorities.
    • Design leadership development pathways that build capability at every level of the organisation.
    • Create a compelling colleague experience and engagement strategy that strengthens attraction, retention and belonging.
    • Use colleague feedback, engagement data and talent insights to drive measurable improvements.
    • Embed inclusion into leadership, talent and colleague lifecycle activity, ensuring equitable experiences for all colleagues.
    • Develop practical tools and frameworks that enable managers to lead effective performance, development and career conversations.
    • Build strong talent pipelines and succession plans to support long-term organisational success.
    • Partner with senior leaders to influence thinking, challenge constructively and strengthen organisational capability.
    • Lead and develop a high-performing team that delivers both strategic impact and outstanding operational support.

    You won't be doing this in isolation. You'll work closely with our Executive Team, People colleagues and leaders across the Society to create an environment where people can grow, perform and build fulfilling careers.

    If you're passionate about leadership, talent, learning and creating exceptional colleague experiences, we'd love to hear from you.

     
    Want to know more? You can download and review the job description which is available on this page. 
     
    INDHP
  • About You

  • You may already be operating in a Head of role, or you could be ready to take the next step into a broader strategic leadership position.

    Either way, you'll have a track record of turning people strategies into practical, measurable outcomes that improve capability, engagement and performance across an organisation.

    You'll probably recognise yourself in this if:

    • You've led leadership, learning, talent or colleague experience initiatives within a complex, multi-site organisation.
    • You can balance strategic thinking with operational delivery, bringing ideas to life and ensuring they create lasting impact.
    • You're an experienced senior stakeholder manager, able to influence, challenge and coach leaders at all levels.
    • You use data, insight and colleague feedback to shape decisions and drive continuous improvement.
    • You're passionate about creating inclusive, high-performing cultures where colleagues can thrive and reach their potential.
    • You've designed and implemented leadership development programmes, talent frameworks or succession planning approaches.
    • You have experience driving colleague engagement and translating insight into meaningful organisational change.
    • You're comfortable facilitating leadership conversations in a workshop environment and presenting strategic recommendations in the boardroom.
    • You're motivated by helping organisations build the leadership capability and culture needed to achieve their ambitions.

    Professional qualifications such as CIPD membership, coaching qualifications or psychometric accreditation would be advantageous. However, we're equally interested in hearing from candidates who can demonstrate significant relevant experience and impact.

     
     
    Why this role matters:
     
     This role sits at the heart of our Purpose Beyond Profit 2030 strategy.

    As Head of Leadership and Colleague Experience, you'll help create the conditions for our colleagues, leaders and teams to perform at their best, ensuring we have the capability and culture needed to deliver for our members and communities.

    You'll shape:

    • How we develop leaders at every level of the Society.
    • How we identify, nurture and retain future talent.
    • How colleagues learn, grow and build fulfilling careers.
    • How we create an engaging, inclusive and high-performing workplace.
    • How people strategies contribute to the long-term success of the Society.

    Ultimately, you'll play a key role in delivering our purpose: bringing together ideas, energy and resources to make life better in our communities.

     
     
    What you’ll get in return
     
     Alongside the opportunity to make a lasting impact across our organisation, you'll receive:
    • 34 days annual leave, rising to 39 days with service (including bank holidays).
    • Private medical insurance, underwritten by BUPA.
    • A pension scheme with up to 12% employer contribution.
    • Colleague discount across our family of businesses.
    • Annual discretionary bonus linked to the achievement of objectives.
    • Wellbeing support and opportunities to support local communities.

    We're also proud to be an Investors in People Platinum employer, reflecting our long-term commitment to developing our colleagues, building capability and creating an environment where people can thrive.

     
    A final thought...
     
    You’ve probably seen roles like this before.

    But how many give you the space to truly shape the colleague experience across an entire organisation?

    If you’re curious about what that could look like here... we’d love to talk.

  • About Us

  • From a single store in 1861 we have grown to be one of the most successful co-operatives in the UK. We’re proud to be able to offer a wide range of services from across our family of businesses. From Food Stores and Pharmacies to Post Offices and Support Services, we’re a growing society made up of over 220 outlets and nearly 3,000 colleagues.

    We're owned by our members, the people of Lincolnshire and surrounding counties, and have been for more than 160 years! Communities are at the heart of everything we do and motivates us to deliver more than great customer service. We support them by sharing dividend with our members, investing in new and improved services, raising money for charity through our Community Champion scheme, supporting local schools and so much more!

    We work together as a Society and are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is barrier free and as inclusive as possible for everyone. If you need any adjustments, would like us to do anything differently during the interview or would like to get in touch with us about anything else, please contact our Recruitment team on (01522) 533316, or alternatively you can email [email protected].

    We may choose to close our vacancies in the event that we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Support Services

Behind every great shift in store, branch, pharmacy or funeral home, there's a team working with our front-line colleagues making sure everything runs smoothly.

Find out more
Support Services

Why choose us?

Career progression

Career progression

Whether you have big ambitions or taking a small next step, you'll have chances to learn, build your skills, and grow more confident in your role.

How we help you grow
For life

For life's challenges

If life gets in the way you'll have supportive managers who listen and help you find a way forward.

Owned by members, not shareholders

Owned by members, not shareholders

You'll be part of a co-op that puts people and communities first, every day.

Beewise credit union

Beewise credit union

A Lincolnshire Co-op exclusive credit union, with a simple way to save and access low-interest loans.

Pensions

Pensions

Your future matters. We'll match what you pay in, up to 12%, with our Honeypot pension scheme.

Volunteering

Volunteering

You get two paid days a year to volunteer locally, doing something that feels good and has an impact in the community.

Why choose us

Rewards & benefits

A good job should come with good perks and as a colleague, you'll have access to a range of rewards and benefits. Some from day one, with others available once you've completed your probation.

Up to 36 days holiday

Up to 36 days holiday

You'll start with 30 days annual leave (including bank holidays). That rises to 36 days with service.

Time to talk

Time to talk

A yearly catch-up with your manager to talk about how things are going and what support, training, or next steps would help you.

Beewise credit union

Beewise credit union

A Lincolnshire Co-op exclusive credit union, with a simple way to save and access low-interest loans.

Employees association

Employees association

Discounted social events and days out. From comedy nights and concerts to shows and trips at special prices.

Colleague awards

Colleague awards

Great service doesn't go unnoticed. You can nominate a colleague for an award when they've gone the extra mile.

Healthcare scheme

Healthcare scheme

Affordable cover options for individuals and families, if you want a little extra support.

Union membership

Union membership

We work closely with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) to support good working conditions and best practice.

Wellbeing support

Wellbeing support

Help for both body and mind, including counselling, helpful resources and other support when you need it.

Discretionary bonus

Discretionary bonus

When the Society performs well, profits may be shared through an annual discretionary bonus. It's worked out as a percentage of your annual wage.

Colleague discount

Colleague discount

After you've completed your probation, you'll get discounts across our products and services through our cashback scheme.

Volunteering days

Volunteering days

You get two paid volunteer days each year to support your local community. It's part of your role, fully paid.

Head of Leadership and Colleague Experience

Advertised Hours
39 hours per week
All Locations
Support Centre, Lincoln
Salary details:
c. £85k per annum
Vacancy type:
Permanent
Apply